Smaller comfy campervan recommendations

[Where2start75]

Hi
Thinking of selling our small 4 berth caravan and switching to a campervan now the kids have pretty much flown the nest.
It really only needs to accommodate me and 2 dogs.
I'd like a comfy bed and comfy seating - I sleep well in the caravan and it has typical dinettes where the table area converts to a double bed.
Reason for switching is portability - caravan is old, doesn't have a motor mover (although could be added) and the car is really only just about powerful enough for towing.
Id swap big car + caravan for a camper (kids and i share a cheap tiny runaround that id keep).
Recommendations appreciated!

As ever with this type of question, what is your budget?

New or used?
Are you happy with a SWB camper like a VW or would you want a LWB model (usually Ducato based) with separate kitchen/diner & lounge spaces?
Elevating roof or high top?
Toilet compartment, under seat toilet or none?

So many options but at the end of the day (as with everything) it always comes down to money.☹️

@Nourishinghandcream
Fair points!
I'd certainly start second hand.
Say up to 10k?
Happy driving anything but envisage keeping it small.
Pop top would be good.
Mini kitchen.
Not worried about a bathroom.
It's the comfy seating that I'm keen to find out about - I'm a teacher, kids have almost flown the nest so weekends will be free to travel but work will have to come too - the dinette in the current caravan gives good work space and comfy seating.

For that budget you are going to be looking at an older vehicle.
Bodywork & mechanicals will need checking out and the rear layout will probably have been altered / updated / rearranged since it left the factory.
I would avoid something "trendy" like a traditional VW camper as with those, you are paying decent money just to get what could be a poor example. Best to stick with something more mainstream like a VW T4 or T25, Transit, Talbot, Merc, Ducato etc.
Perhaps a (good) pre-done DIY conversion would suit? There are some really nice ones out there (and some equally nasty ones so beware) which may have been built with single occupancy in mind.

I'd stick with a small caravan TBH - a Basecamp 2 for example. The car then gives you so may more options for exploring otherwise you have to either roam from the site on foot or pack the van up and drive around. Knowing that you might not want to pack up every time you want to go anywhere further than you want to walk will force you to spend more time looking for campsites with everything you want withing walking distance. I have a VW Crafter, a high top, 5.98m and love it for the driving part (awesome automatic gearbox) and the space inside and not having to bend over - i can stand up anywhere inside - it's great... but it has it's limitations. I did have a T6 with a poptop at first but on cool days all the heat would go out of the poptop so you had to keep it down and it was a bit too cramped - I didn't like the rock'n'roll bed for comfort either, plus you couldn't get in the fridge to make a cuppa in the morning without folding the bed up however - it was a gem to drive, loved the gearbox and it was easier to get in and around small villages, narrow lanes and car parks than the Crafter - I'd have a Basecamp too if I had the money spare. For the moment the van suits me because I have a dog and almost all of my time away is spent walking - I do pack the van up and go for some days out but generally I prefer not to.

Plus vans are stupidly expensive compared to caravans.

For your budget you will only end up with a pile of crap. You need to up the budget or forget it.

Agree with @larkstar, get a small caravan.
A base camp, or one of the continental Eriba caravans. Or even a small Bailey.
much easier to tow, and much more space for wet dogs
we thought about a small camper van, but once the bed was out the seating was not as comfy and the only space for a dog is actually on the bed.
and I really hate the idea of packing it all up to go out for the day, or to get a decent supermarket shop in.

Thanks for the replies.
I already have a small 4 berth caravan so maybe need to invest in a motor mover for it instead of selling - for now at least.
Love the look of both Eriba and Basecamp ones. Mine is marginally lighter than the Basecamp, and has a great layout with a dinette at either end giving 2 doubles (one smaller than the other) so one can be left as a bed during the day.
I had imagined a camper would be easier for disappearing for a weekend, but maybe not and obviously hugely more expensive.
I'll continue to ponder but your replies have been really helpful.

Get a Motor mover, we had a man come to the house to fit ours, or he would have come to the storage place. They are fabulous.
We found him by searching the web.
your van sounds perfect, so keep it

We've had a Mazda Bongo, a Go-Pod (mini-caravan) as well as countless tents over the years.

The Bongo was by far the best in terms of spec and comfort (electric blinds, electric raising roof, air con etc) but they stopped making them in the early 2000s so they are all pretty old now.

We currently have a VW T5 and it's easily the most useable and easy for a quick getaway. The bed is really comfy (for one, bit of a squeeze for two!) with a mattress topper. The only issue I have is getting the pop-top right down if I'm on my own. I think some are probably better than others.

Campervan is quicker and easier to "just get away".
But it costs. Not just financially, in packing up each day.

But it depends on your mindset and how much you faff. I got up this morning in my van at 7.20am. brew, breakfast, shower, packed lunch, van tidied, stood next to my bike ready to go at 9.20.

My friends next door were awake at 7am, fussed faffed and moved kit around. At 10.20 as we rolled away on the bike exclaimed it was the first time they had been out by 11am ever....

I've got far less kit, a LWB high roof with loads of storage, and generally a 'get on and go' attitude.

Is a very small van with a roof top tent the answer? They are insulated.

When setting up, some like to unpack & spread out which means a lot of faff when you want to go anywhere.
Others seem to go a step further and make a semi-permanent base with awning, windbreaks, rugs, lights & flagpoles which to us, defeats the point of a motorhome or camper. If you are going to stay in one place and not make the most of your vehicles mobility, why not buy a caravan?????

We have had MoHo's for years and are never in one place for more than a couple of nights. Wind-out awning, a couple of chairs but that is it, can break camp and be mobile in a matter of minutes (leaving things like chairs on the pitch). Likewise inside the MoHo, being neat & tidy (important even in a spacious vehicle like ours) means there is precious little to stow away before we can move.

These are all really helpful, thank you!
I'm definitely of the minimal packing and keeping everything tidy mind-set, even with 3 kids in the caravan (or maybe because of 3 kids in the caravan!)

We had a second-hand Bongo for 16 years. We didn't have a full conversion - just the original seats which folded down. The only problem with that for me was that my feet would dangle over the edge - I'm about 5ft 9.

Most Bongo's now are but an MOT from the rusty scrap heap. I have watched a family member spend £10k on one in the pandemic rush and a further £10k since on rust repairs and broken drive train. It finally blew the engine up spectacularly a few weeks ago, just ahead of MOT where they had been told £2k more welding. That is £22k on a van for 5 years and maybe 25 nights away. It was noisy, thirsty, slow, cramped.

My T5 was bought 3 years ago and I've been offered what I paid for it by a dealer last autumn, so minimal loss of cost. Servicing isn't cheap.

My T5 has a full size double RIB bed that's so much more comfy and spacious than most Transporter's Rock n Roll narrow beds. Happy days.

I have a T2, bought it last year for £5k, and have some bodywork to sort on it (I knew this when I bought it). It's a late bay (very early 1980), 1.6 air-cooled, has a Danbury pop top and the interior is very retro (1973 Westfalia Continental: got a sink/coolbox unit, a two ring burner and lots of storage space). It has a full width RnR bed at the back, and that fits me and DD12 without issue (my DCs - aged 19 and 12 - do have their own pup tents that they sleep in though). It's very basic (no heater or EHU installed) but I have an EHU lead from tent camping days and a good leisure battery/solar panel set up (again from tent camping times). I can potter about in the van easily enough with the pop top down, but of course there is more space with it up. There are two bunk bed hammocks in the pop top but they're for smaller kids (up to 40kg). I was considering upgrading the bunks to take up to 60kg but no real need for that. The RnR bed is VERY comfortable! Sleeping in the T2 is lovely. I tend to travel light, so set up and packing away is quick. Having the T2 makes it a lot quicker. I'm tempted to buy a small trailer for it but that will have to wait for the time being.

Work to do on it: body work, rear seatbelts, Lite Steer, eventually a diesel heater. I'd like to sort the gears on it and install a brake servo. I've already cut in an inspection hatch for the fuel sender and put in a new one. Eventually will mod the pop top so it's easier for me to put up and down (I'm 5ft3 and 8stone, and the pop top is heavy!). I'm going to sound completely nuts, but am seriously considering using it as my daily drive: I've only done 8k miles in my salary sacrifice lease car since I got it in Dec '23, so I'm thinking that may as well use my own T2 once I hand back the lease car at the end of the 3yr lease! I have an ebike and a 125cc scooter too. Most of my journeys are within a 5mile radius of home (aside from days out or camping trips).

Pro's: easy/cheap to service (I'm learning how to do this myself - the other week, I changed the carb on it and tuned it up, fitted a new oil breather pipe, tidied up some old cables and fitted new spade connectors and sorted the fan belt as it was a bit loose), cheap to insure, tax/MOT exempt, it's a nice smallish size for me to nip about in. Oh and it looks cool, and puts a smile on my face every time I look at it.

Cons: it's an old vehicle, with no mod cons (so no power steering, it has questionable windscreen wipers, a windsceen wash system that is pressurised using a bicycle pump, and has no reverse cams, or heater!), the gears are evil (and I can drive manual!). It's slow (can do 70 but takes its time!). Not always easy to find places that will work on them (hence me wanting to learn as much as possible). Obvs old vans have quirks (lots of them) - it's a steep learning curve.

What about looking at a T4? You sort of have the best of both worlds: nice size, bit more modern than my T2 (so probably easier to find garages/mechanics), bit more space than a Caddy sized van.

If you really want a small one (and I wouldn't class T4s or transits as micro campers!) I'd recommend a Nissan NV200. About the size of a Bongo, but a comfortable drive and very fuel efficient. You can even get electric ones but the range is pretty laughable, at least on the 10 year old ones.

I’ve got a small swb camper - vivaro sized so a tiny bit bigger than a transporter. It’s just about big enough for me to go away for weekends on my own. When DH comes we can manage with an awning. It would be completely unmanageable for 4 peoples .

Most small vans only have 3 seats.

There was a thread recently about TopBox tents, and the general consensus seemed to be they are not very good.

Thanks for the thoughts!
I found a lovely looking T4 earlier - kitchen area curved around so it looked like the fridge would be accessible with bed down.
I'll Google the first there suggestions later.
I don't fancy the roof top tent - might as well just use my 2 person tent instead with a small van in that case. At least I could drive away then!
This thread is really helpful. Thanks all.